(( DISCLAIMER: This thread will contain harsh language, if you haven't heard or seen the word fuck before, well, now you have. Yeah this'll be a mess, and apparently curse words are censored. TOO BAD THIS IS AN IMAGE LOL ))
(( I DID IT! I made the PDA finally, big shoutout to @Shagmeister for drawing up the base device. BG, UI, icons, all that crap finalized by me(that's why it sux.) ))
(( Generally not one to bump.. anything, ever, but I'm doing it now. Updated with things I forgot in the original upload, added StarNet icon and battery icon, scroll bar actually moves with each picture! ))
The following entry is audio only. The log starts with a brief period of silence, presumably where Scheffler contemplates what is he going to say even after starting the recording. "Well, here I am, still fuckin' alive. Come a long way since I was thawed out, back in 2414. Arrived in Antares alone, now I'm alone again, returning to the very place everything went to shit at in the beginning. It's all come full circle hasn't it?" There is another pause, where Scheffler can be heard snorting softly in amusement. "Still separated, don't know where to start, just lost 'im after Ausenberg. I can't say I blame him honestly, I'm not the most lively person to be around and the way things are now left us completely alone on this ship for months. Been hopping from place to place, doing what I can for coin and fuel, and thank fuck the DSOV is an easy ship to run. As retarded as SAIL is, the fuckin' thing helps me keep her in operating condition." His ramblings are temporarily interrupted by a sigh, followed by some moments of more silence. The recording device shifts around as indistinct background noise is heard, possibly the sounds of a door opening and closing with boots trailing by. After this, his voice takes on a more sombre tone. "I miss a lot of others. I miss Dusk, Ethan, all 'a them... Miss Dusk the most though, him and Kidei were my closest friends from Antares ever, and they weren't even humans. It's not healthy to dwell, I know that much, but it's so.. hard, it's so fuckin' difficult not to think about them. Not a day that doesn't go by where I don't regret losing them, seems like I can't hold on to one god damn person in this universe." He groans faintly, annoyed by his own depressed behaviour. "Resorted to doing mercenary work in these last few months, seeing as it's one of the few things that seems to be stable work out here, and it's something I'm good at." Suddenly he'd pick up an oddly cheery tone, changing the subject. "Sure has been a while since I've jot down my feelings or anything though, hasn't it? Gonna' try to keep at it here and record things as they progress. Right now I'm waiting in a depot for an APC or something to come pick us up. There's four of us here, all hired by this protectorate as security contractors, at least I think. Haven't been briefed yet. We'll see I suppose." A click signifies the end of the log, saved and stored.
The following entry is audio only. Immediately at the start of the entry, Scheffler sounds absolutely livid, albeit hushed due to some possible danger. His voice appears muffled, more than likely behind some kind of mask or helmet. "Those fuckers. Fucking cocksuckers couldn't even wait more than a day before FUCKING turning on us. There were four of us, three contractors and some researcher, all of us issued our own EVA rated suits and rifles." After making that point, he mutters softly. "I grabbed the ten gauge though, was expecting some shit different from this." A quiet sigh is picked up by the mic, silence ensuing for a little over a dozen seconds. He inhales deeply, speaking up once again in a tone that reflects some mild irritation, possibly weariness. "We took our jeep to the site, the site of this 'nest.' Our task was to protect the researcher, a xenobiologist I believe. He collected his little samples of the nest, of the organic material everywhere." There's a quick pause, his tone becoming noticeably more cynical. "Shit gave me the worst vibes of what we saw back in Calgary, I should have fucking known.. Not sure how I would have ever known they'd turn on us, but somehow I suspect I should have." Then, he starts to sound almost hopeless. "Can't even reach the fucking DSOV anymore, the Falcon is parked in the depot and I doubt I'll be able to enter that again considering those mercenary motherfuckers are out to get me, they know me by name and face. Why? Would they fuck us over like this?" He groans, and a snapping twig is barely audible on the mic in the background, causing the recording to end with a click. It picks up again on the same file a couple minutes later, Scheffler sounding more calm than before. "Thought I heard something coming this way, fuck I'm on edge right now. So anyways, those bastards apparently decided we weren't gonna' leave this planet alive. As we finished up in the nest, we started heading back to the jeep to RTB. They had started setting up some kind of cordon outside while we were doing our thing. By the time we reached our jeep, they had this.. just line of vehicles and weapons facing us right on top of the little slope, I knew something was up." With a subtle "tch" Scheffler shifts some, the mic picking up some rattling. "First they shot the researcher, right in the head. All I heard was the snap before he just jerked back, fell to the ground with a messy hole in his visor, probably from an anti-materiel round, definitely wasn't an HMG, had to be a sniper. Hit the dirt as fast as I could, and they just started opening up on us, mowed down the grizzled vet sounding dude on the other side of the jeep, lucky for me I was behind it with another guy. Popped MS smoke and we high tailed it back into the nest. They sure as hell weren't gonna' follow us in there, nor could they hit us through the cloud of smoke and other shit in the air. Sadly they managed to nail me in the thigh and they clipped the other guy in the chest, I ended up carrying him through a waist high marsh, only to realize as he got heavier that the son of a bitch was dead halfway through the fuckin' thing." An angry muttering is heard. "My fuckin' luck." He mulls over something for a bit, uttering a low sigh and speaking again. "Took his rifle, dropped my webbing for his, now I've got something to protect myself with after dropping the shotgun back there. Fuck that thing, won't help me anymore... 'Least I still got my M45, huh? They let us keep our sidearms, that was a small bonus." The weariness starts to show again as he goes on. "Thought about taking my helmet off there, not gonna' do it though. Could end with me infected or something, I have no idea how this shit works. Why do I keep fighting though? Why do I constantly struggle when everything is trying to push me under? Is it because we're instinctively programmed to -" He murmurs something unintelligible, pausing. "No, that can't be it. Otherwise -" Yet again he stops, his tone suggesting some frustration. "That was my fault, not his. Or perhaps, perhaps it's because I can't learn my fuckin' lesson. Look where it got me. Trapped in the woods on some fuck-ass planet far from 'home' and even farther from hope. Scheffler out." A click signifies the end of the log, saved and stored.
((awe thats cute he remembers her after all these years and has so much pent up emotion he finds himself doodling her in his boredom.))
The following entry has an audio file attached to it. The steady crackling of flames in the background begins with the log, Scheffler's voice still carrying that muffled sound to it. "So I had one hell of a wake up call this morning, awoke to the sounds of gunshots and small explosions. Peeked outta' the woods to see that entire fucking nest mobilizing against the blockade. Forty or so guys with APCs and small arms against the entire fucking nest." He chuckles lightly, sounding amused for a moment. "They didn't last long." There's some thudding of boots on metal flooring, followed by a low grunt from Scheffler. "Now I got myself an APC, courtesy of the protectorate. Gonna' use this shit to muscle my way back into the colony and find a ship worthy of space travel, get myself back aboard the DSOV, and rod their cruiser out of existence. Was thinking about dropping some a rod on the colony too, but that'd be monstrous. Not draggin' the poor civs into all of this." He pauses, thinking silently. After that, he takes a deep breath and continues his yammering. "Got a roof mounted fifty on the APC, definitely gonna' fire that shit before running it through their little front gate, mix up the hornet's nest a bit." There's another pause, his response following is a little softer. "There aren't any bodies left, all this blood 'n.. fuckin' gore, but not a single body. At least I can use this gear, and I gathered what I could for myself. Got some plastic explosives, extra rations, extra mags, basically whatever I can carry without over encumbering myself. Got an alert too, an alert that the DSOV had shocked out of orbit when SAIL detected unauthorized boarding attempts. It's somewhere in the fuckin' system and I need to reach it, somehow. At least she's safe, right? ..Yeah. I guess that's all for now. Hope I can pull this off." A click signifies the end of the recording, saved and stored.
The following entry is audio only. This time, the log begins with near silence, only the hushed sounds of Scheffler breathing are audible. When he speaks, it's clear he wasn't wearing any helmet or mask, and his voice was a little raspy, rested but somehow tired. "I did it. I made it off world, by the skin of my teeth." A breathy laugh ensues. "I don't wanna' go back, but I may have to in the near future, the Falcon is still down there and I need that thing. I'm gonna' need it to call the DSOV, it's the only craft with a transponder capable of reaching it. Right now I'm on a fuckin' mining shuttle, thing is less than cozy, but at least it's topped off with fuel." He inhales and utters a long, drawn out sigh as something scrapes across the metallic floor. "They were pouring in to the colony pretty heavily by the time I was taking off, had to dodge the pin headed contractors all the way up to this ore processing building, it had a rooftop landing pad and everything. Kind of feel bad about leaving those employees behind to die, I..." Nothing else follows that thought as he trails off, though the recording clearly continues as it picks up his regular breathing. When he finally decides to speak again, his tone was deep and soft, on the verge of a whisper with a tinge of pain in it. "I can't go back for them now. It didn't even occur to me to save them. Is that what I've truly become?" His voice returns to normal for one last statement, struggling to at least end the recording on a positive note. "I'm going to find the DSOV, Scheffler out." A hurried click signifies the end of the log, saved and stored.
The following entry is audio only. With the beginning of the recording, there is the steady hum of electronics in the background. By the sound of his voice, Scheffler seems composed, albeit drained. "Well, now I know where I am. The middle 'a fuckin' nowhere. There's snow on everything and the place is cold as fuck. I'm sandwiched between some kind of compound and a crash site, a big ass wreck. Gotta' be at least three hundred, maybe four hundred metres long. Spent most of the day just scoping this place out and getting my bearings." Josh utters a quiet grunt, followed by a lot of crackling and hissing noises as the mic picks up his shifting around. "Hopefully I can find some food, maybe fuel, then I'll be golden. Wait this shit out for a few days and swoop in when the main storm has blown over. Speaking from experience, most of their resistance will have been wiped out, meaning I can take a leisurely stroll back to the Falcon and be free of it all. Here's to hoping, huh?" There's another clattering sound as the device is moved. "Going to explore more tomorrow, probably document my findings. There's definitely some kinda' wildlife out here, I can hear distant calls of what sounds like.. grazing animals? I dunno', makes 'em sound big. Scheffler out." A tap and click signifies the end of the recording, saved and stored.
The following entry is audio only. There's a sigh picked up by the microphone at the start of the log, someone isn't happy. "Figures. Fuck man, where do I even start?" Silence ensues for a couple seconds, save for what sounds like hair being scratched. Scheffler clears his throat after contemplating, speaking up again. "Okay, so, I went exploring like I said I would. Went to the compound first, it was dead abandoned and there was a big hole in the perimeter fence. Looked like a little isolated mining post, they've got equipment outside and a shack with solar panels on it, along with one big prefabricated habitation unit. All surrounded by a fairly sturdy looking perimeter fence, which has a breach in it. By the looks of it, there was a landing pad here too, but that shit's empty. All in all a little disconcerting, but not outright alarming. At least, at that point it seemed to be okay." He blows some air through his lips, coming close to creating something that sounds like another sigh. "Went to investigate that crashed freighter next.. I certainly wish I had not. Ended up having to go in through the nose of the craft, found the pilot too! His face was fucking chewed off right in his chair, and him being frozen like a damn popsicle makes it a pain in the ass to tell when he might have bought it. No decay, but the ice all over him and the ship itself suggests it's been here for more than a few days. Went deeper inside and found pretty much exactly what I expected. A lot of expired saps in cryogenic stasis tanks, no emergency power to sustain 'em. Along with that, a lot of nasty frozen food, some jackass decided to leave all of the storage containers open and the cold crept in. I collected what I could that wasn't freezer burnt, and for the life of me I couldn't find whoever was holed up in here." A scratching noise is heard again, Josh grunting as well as he adjusts his spot on wherever he was resting. "It's honestly kinda' hard to tell what happened to this fucking ship here, but based off of what I've seen I'd have safely assumed it was something from the inside that brought this bitch down. Engine failure, possibly sabotage, or something went seriously wrong and the crew themselves ended up takin' 'er down." Josh suddenly shifts topic, raising his voice to something high pitched to properly accentuate his exasperation. "Woooh boy, of all things, though. Never woulda' guessed it'd be the nightmarish kind of fuck we encountered back in the frontier.. Thought I'd be rid 'a this shit for God's sake. Yeah it's one of those shits, and I know there are some big gaps in this story, but I'll get to that in a sec. I seriously need to eat." There's some shuffling sounds before a click ends the recording. A subsequent click begins round two, the speaker sounding no different than he had when he first started. "So I went back to the compound, and at this point it was gettin' dark out. Time is weird on this planet, day and night cycles are all whack. Went back, decided to explore a little, and I heard more of those damn calls. It sounded kinda' close, but at that time I was inside so I didn't give a flying fuck. I explored the housing structure a little more, and they had left almost everything behind. Their fucking clothes, their food, their personal belongings, they just hauled ass off planet. Naturally, at that point I was getting more and more suspicious. Something had to be going on here, and sure as shit, I found a helmet cam and some logs from their expeditions." He seems to hesitate for the next few moments, the recording becoming increasingly quieter. With a huff, he lowers his voice slightly and continues yammering. "Anyways, after I finished watching the logs I could hear the voice of what sounded like someone behind the doors outside. I knew I locked 'em after stepping in, but in some cruel twist of fate, they opened anyways. I can only assume the fucking thing had jacked a keycard from one of their bodies, and it was smart enough to use the fucking thing too. It came inside, and it was pretty fuckin' clear it wasn't looking to get acquainted. I popped a frag and that managed to stun it, well enough for me to get level on it with the rifle and give it a taste of 7mm SPC. Cocksucker ended up bolting upstairs, so like an idiot I followed it. Fuckin' thing was in the kitchen eating all it could get its hands on. I was ready to pop it again but holy SHIT was it fast! Thing zipped along the walls and cupboards even after getting nailed several times, ended up pouncing on me and tryin' to drag me outside. Whipped out my sidearm and gave its leg a surgical heel removal; bastard nearly had me through the doorway too. Then it fucked off back into the cold, and I know I'm gonna' have to fight it and kill it at some point. Either that or just hope it doesn't come back.. May as well start fortifying anyways. Scheffler out, for now." A thud, and then a click signifies the end of the recording, saved and stored.
The following entry is audio only. The sound of fire crackling in the background, along with a steady breeze blowing in on the mic and creating obnoxious racket. His voice denotes total exhaustion at this point, along with being muffled by the helmet he was currently wearing. "One helluva stand.. huh?" After uttering a single sentence he breaks into a fit of coughing, groaning in pain when it finally subsides. "Fucking thing busted in at 3 in the morning, set off my sound traps and completely avoided the booby trapped frag. Stormed upstairs and tried to catch me while I was sleeping, and yeah. I got my ass thrown around, thing was trying real hard ta' get through my body armour. Stabbed it, punched it, shot it, fucking HEADBUTT it, and it still beat my ass. Managed to fucking knock it down at least, crawled outside and hit the blasting clay." Just as he says that, there's a series of loud crashing and clattering as something very large collapses, the wind blowing harder for a moment. Josh's raspy breathing can be heard after silence falls, remaining this way for at least a minute or so. "I don't think I can walk, this insulated suit isn't gonna' keep me forever, and these fires are gonna' die soon. Might as-" A distant voice calls out, a deeper, weathered sounding one. They shout but one word, repeatedly. "SCHEFFLER! SCHEEEEFFLEEEEEERRR!" It doesn't take him long to respond, seemingly moving the PDA around as he hollers back. "I'M HERE!" The crunching of snow under boots is finally picked up by the mic, growing gradually louder as the source of the voice reaches him. They appear to scramble around him for a moment whilst addressing him. "It's all right son, I've got you." A pained grunt sounds out as more shifting is heard, it was obviously Josh. There's a click, and the recording sharply ends, saved and stored.
The following entry has an audio file attached to it. The recording starts with the sounds of two ECG machines in the background beeping steadily to someone's pulse, multiple someones probably. Scheffler's voice is muffled when he speak, likely coming through a mask or helmet of some kind. He speaks softly too, trying not to be loud or exhausted sounding. "Why isn't anything ever simple, or easy? It's never as simple or easy as killing, and that became more apparent than ever today. Probably makes me sound heartless saying 'killing is easy,' although for me it's just the ugly truth. Chris said I solved my problems with bullets, which I do. I solve my problems and the problems of others through violence and killing. Should I be ashamed of that?" There's a brief shuffling sound, with a swish of a bottle's contents. A pop sounds out as the bottle swishes again, Josh resuming his miniature rant after uttering a weary groan. "Drowning out my problems with booze isn't helping either, I'm starting to become more and more like those PTSD cases I hear 'n read about. Is that the road I'm headed down? I sure as fuck hope not, otherwise this story isn't gonna' have a happy ending." Another quick drink is picked up by the mic, and some additional shifting. Something in the background moved, which prompted an awkward silence of a few seconds. The silence ends with Josh's gentle voice. "She sure can sleep through a lot. Anyways, yeah, old friends, drama, I don't know where the fuck I'm headed. I haven't felt this down in a long time, I need to get my shit together here. Maybe I should talk to Britton or someone about this? Either that or the blind chick, something to help, something other than booze." A very faint murmur is heard. "Maybe Blaze.." Then, he speaks normally for one last moment. "Semper Fi, Scheffler out." A click signifies the end of the recording, saved and stored.
